Helpful Score: 4
Great book. Very interesting look at modern Native Americans, looking espescially of the effects on the psychy after WWII.
Helpful Score: 2
Ceremony puts the reader directly in Tayo's shoes in his quest for healing. A very spiritual book, revealing of Native American culture, yet mysterious at the same time. I just saw it at the National Museum of the American Indian in a new edition. I'm glad that such a classic is available to new
audiences.
audiences.
Tayo, a young American Native American, has been a prisoner of the Japanese during WWII, and the horrors of captivity have almost eroded his will to survive only increases his feelings of estrangement and alienation. While other returning soldiers find easy refuge in alcohol and senseless violence, Tayo searches for another kind of comfort and resolution. Tayo's quest leads him back to the Indian past and its traditions, to the beliefs about witchcraft and evil, and to the ancient stories of his people. The search itself becomes a ritual, a curative ceremony that defeats the most virulent of afflictions, despair.
A young Native American soldier returns home after WWII, but cannot leave the terrors of war behind him as he struggles to survive in a world out of balance.
I loved this book when I first read it and have kept it for many years. I read this during my "Don Juan" period and while not quite as mystical, it was a very interesting book.
Ceremony is a very well written, complex story of the life of the American Indian as told by one of their own. I enjoyed it very much, even though it was challenging to me to understand all that it was about.
From back cover:
Tayo, a young Native American, has been a prisoner of the Japanese during World War II, and the horrors of captivity have almost eroded his will to survive. His return to the Laguna Pueblo reservation only increases his feeling of estrangement and alienation. While other returning soliders find easy refuge in alchohol and senseless violence, Tayo searches for another kind of comfort and resolution.
Tayo's quest leads him back to the Indian past and its traditions, to beliefs about witchcraft and evil, to the ancient stories of his people. The search itselft becomes a ritual, a curative ceremony that defates the most virulent of afflications, despair.
Tayo, a young Native American, has been a prisoner of the Japanese during World War II, and the horrors of captivity have almost eroded his will to survive. His return to the Laguna Pueblo reservation only increases his feeling of estrangement and alienation. While other returning soliders find easy refuge in alchohol and senseless violence, Tayo searches for another kind of comfort and resolution.
Tayo's quest leads him back to the Indian past and its traditions, to beliefs about witchcraft and evil, to the ancient stories of his people. The search itselft becomes a ritual, a curative ceremony that defates the most virulent of afflications, despair.
compelling story of a young man coming to grips with his heritage and his past endevours.
******************SPOILER ALERT**********************************
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One of the few books I feel compelled to review. Ms. Silko gives us a well written and well painted portrait of young Tayo, who has returned from World War II, profoundly out of balance in his life and in the world in which he lives.
He has tried western medicine, "native" medicine, and nothing is helping. It is in his expansion of the healing ceremony to encompass his whole world that he finally begins moving toward healing.
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One of the few books I feel compelled to review. Ms. Silko gives us a well written and well painted portrait of young Tayo, who has returned from World War II, profoundly out of balance in his life and in the world in which he lives.
He has tried western medicine, "native" medicine, and nothing is helping. It is in his expansion of the healing ceremony to encompass his whole world that he finally begins moving toward healing.
Haven't even cracked this one open :)
